


Finality

by setosdarkness



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Final Haikyuu!! Quest AU, M/M, Magic + Dark Magic + Adventure AU, PLOT TWISTS EVERYWHERE, backstories, but there's a plot, series of drabbles, with lots of shipping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2014-10-19
Packaged: 2018-02-19 01:30:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2369435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/setosdarkness/pseuds/setosdarkness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world is on the brink of destruction, it's just a matter of the cause being from the overload of dark magic, from the civil wars everywhere, from Arch Angel Ushijima's tyranny, or from Dark King Oikawa's power-hungry conquest. Karasuno might not be the strong empire it was before, but it now has a group promising fighters and allies who wants the world to return to normal.</p><p>[aka Final HQ Quest AU!!! featuring: Hinata the Hero, Kageyama the Genius "King of Magic", Hajime the Knight, Oikawa the Dark King, Ushiwaka the Tyrant, AND MORE]<br/>[IWAOI is OTP, but there's also lots of KageHina DaiSuga TsukiYama AsaYuu KuroKen KenHina KuroTsuki YakuLev BokuAka EVERYONE/EVERYONE]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I would just like to let you all know that my bias for my OTP (Iwaizumi/Oikawa) is going to show up A LOT in this fic.  
> Also: my OT3 is Kageyama/Hinata/Ushijima (LOL), while my OT5 is Iwaizumi/Oikawa/Ushijima/Kageyama/Hinata (because Iwaizumi will top the fuck out of everyone). Last, but not the least, thanks to Ushiwaka wanting a setter devoted to him, why not ship him with Suga-mama. Sugawara/Ushiwaka ftw.
> 
> Comments are awesome! :)

**••• [Kageyama/Hinata] ["I'll make you invincible"]**

…Sure, Sugawara-san told him rather patiently that he needed to get along better with Kageyama (or rather, to have less fights that damaged a lot of their surroundings), but IT. WAS. JUST. SO. HARD.

He wasn't dense—he understood, probably better than anyone, that there were weak people and there were strong ones and Kageyama clearly belonged to the strong lot. He wasn't stupid (most of the time!) and he knew that it was a big blessing to their dying town that Kageyama had fled from Seijou and had instead wanted to lend his incredibly strong (annoying, amazing, astounding) magic to Karasuno instead of the Dark King.

He knew all of those, along with a couple of other things, but IT. WAS. JUST. SO HARD. Kageyama made him feel like a mixture of GWAAH and FUWAAAN and GYAA, but he also didn't stop at that—the always-present frown on his face went a little deeper while interacted with Hinata and it made him feel all GRRR-angry and disappointed and irritated at his own disappointment.

…In any case.

"We should head back, K-Kageyama." He was pretty quick with running away, but Kageyama's magic was enough to catch him effortlessly. He kept his eyes trained on his (50% unwilling) companion and hoped to avoid another noogie to his head. "…Sugawara-san might think that we're fighting again and we don't want that, because that will make Daichi-san angry."

Kageyama snorted, but failed to hide the shiver that went through him at the thought of an angry Daichi who was more than capable enough to squish them to the ground, with or without magic.

"Let's go, dumbass-Hinata," Kageyama marched back towards their camp that remained unbelievably close to their starting point, Karasuno's west gate.

Hinata made a face at Kageyama's back and long strides, but he followed nevertheless. He privately thought that Sugawara-san was kind of _mean_ to always conveniently stick him with Kageyama during these types of missions… Sure, this was easy, since they just had to plant some receivers for Take-chan's surveillance web magic and nobody really expected any kind of trouble to pop up here and now of all places, but it was still much better to be prepared than be caught off-guard, isn't it?

He also knew that Sugawara-san just wanted everybody to coexist in harmony (or relative peace, at the very least), because they were allies now that were working on a common goal to defeat both the Dark King Oikawa and the Arch Angel Ushijima.

Everything was much better now though, compared to what had happened during his first meeting with Kageyama, something that still made him wince when he remembered. It made one hell of an impression on him though – because he could still feel the sting of the defeat and powerlessness that had bathed him when he was effortlessly defeated by an injured Kageyama who was on the run from Seijou. It still burned at him, because he could still remember the relief that had flooded him when Kageyama's companion, Hajime-san, had stopped the other from completely beating him up.

Hinata was still reminiscing about their not-so-distant past (has it really just been a month?) when Kageyama had apparently stopped on his tracks. Not expecting that to happen at all, Hinata walked right into Kageyama's stiff back.

"Ow! That hurt! What gives, Kageyama?! Hey wait, are we under attack?"

"Shut up, idiot! We're not under attack!" Kageyama had instantly snapped, but the stiffness on his back hasn't faded. Hinata rubbed at his nose gingerly and after he circled around Kageyama (so he couldn't see anything from behind Kageyama! So what?!) to confirm that they really weren't under attack, he turned to his companion who had a strange expression on his face.

"I… I will make you invincible," Kageyama mumbled like these were long-practiced words, eyes shifted to the right where Hinata totally wasn't standing at, but Hinata could forgive the other not looking him straight in the eye right now. Because right now, Hinata was too busy wondering if he was actually an old man who had a heart-attack, because this wasn't fair and he wasn't ready for this. It has only been a month since he had technically known the other, but this wasn't the first time when he had seriously considered the thought that it felt like they had known each other forever. Like, sure, Kageyama could be quite scary and intense at times, and he was such a stiff, but dorky person who snapped at Hinata so easily and rudely that it was kind of unfair that he was so polite with Hajime-san and Sugawara-san, and—

"W-What are you making that face for, idiot?!" Kageyama didn't shriek, but it was pretty close to that when he reacted to Hinata's flushed face. "You're embarrassing me, damn it!"

"Then! Then don't say embarrassing things in the first place!" Hinata yelled, but he didn't really mean that. True, it was kind of hard to deal with Kageyama who had a very short fuse and seemed irritated with everything, but he was also _fun_ to deal with and nobody else had ever given Hinata the same exhilaration with seeing their magic up-close.

"Y-You!"

(In the end, the two of them were fifteen minutes late into their rendezvous time with the rest of their group and it took Daichi-san's infamous rock-rain upon their heads to successfully get their attention away from each other and into being dragged back to camp. But the two of them had small smiles on their faces, so it wasn't a complete disaster, no matter how much Tsukishima smirked nastily at them.)

**••• [Takeda/Ukai] [Adult Fear]**

"…Those idiots are fighting again, aren't they?"

"I prefer to think of it as the passion of their youth."

Takeda adjusted his glasses and looked fondly at the man beside him whose fingers were surely itching to have a smoke, but was too polite to outright smoke while near him. Takeda had previously (off-handedly) commented something about disliking the smell of cigarettes because it reminded him of his burnt-down house, but he honestly didn't think it would affect Ukai-kun this much. He really was a good person.

The Seeing Mirror was still blissfully blank, because Kageyama and Hinata probably were indeed bickering with each other, so Takeda had the opportunity to focus more on Ukai-kun.

"…Your roots are showing," Takeda murmured with a burst of fondness, because that happened whenever he stared at Ukai-kun long enough. "Should we ask Shimizu-san to help fix your hair?"

"It's fine… I'd rather not use magic for things like this."

Wedged tightly between warring powerhouse countries had reduced Karasuno's existence to a pitiful state of nothingness. Datekou had dealt the finishing blow to their land not more than four months ago and it was a miracle that they were able to survive, not to mention manage to organize a ragtag group of fellow survivors who all agreed to fight together to put an end to this madness. Hair dyes and such were luxuries that they would probably not see for the next couple of years.

Takeda understood – in a way – why Ukai-kun hated using magic for anything unnecessary.

It was magic, after all, that had started this mess in this world.

On top of that—

"Should we send Daichi to fetch them?"

"I told those two, _numerous times_ , to stop getting carried away."

"You're always so serious, Ukai-kun!" Takeda liked that about him. Privately, Takeda resolved to be stronger so that he wouldn't have to rely on others to set his magic up. Publicly, he smiled in a way that hopefully reflected only the optimism that he was known for, instead of the anxiety at leading a group of teenagers that had losses so early in their lives, against practically the entire world.

Ukai stared at him – and for a moment, Takeda felt that his worries have all been exposed, one-by-one. The moment passed and Takeda remembered to breathe.

"Let's have Sugawara accompany Daichi… left alone, Daichi might actually injure those two idiots."

Takeda agreed with a laugh, before he called up Daichi and Sugawara.

(In the next couple of minutes, Ukai would gather everyone and would give them their orders for the night and for the following day and Takeda would pray to any god who was listening to keep their little group safe. If anybody else had noticed his near-desperate anxiety, nobody said anything.)

**••• [Sawamura/Sugawara] [The Melancholy of a Team Mom]**

"…They're fighting again, huh?"

"I remember telling them I'll make them eat rocks if they cause another commotion. You remember that too, right, Suga?"

"I remember, Daichi."

He rested a hand on Daichi's elbow, chuckled a little at the vein that's pulsing on Daichi's temples. It was refreshing to see Daichi lose his calm regarding those troublemakers of theirs.

He was thankful that Kageyama and Hajime had encountered Karasuno and had stayed with them, instead of remaining with Seijou. If Kageyama hadn't met Hinata, Hinata would have probably been stuck in the remains of his burned-down home. If Kageyama hadn't met Hinata, the two of them wouldn't be bickering now and causing delay with the installation of Take-chan's surveillance magic, and they wouldn't be causing Daichi to lose his temper.

It really was the small connections that piled up together that composed this world.

Despite the fuming huffs from Daichi, he didn't storm off. He wanted to think that it was due to the placating hand that he had placed on Daichi's elbow, but it was hard to be sure sometimes.

"Don't be too rough on them, alright?"

It wasn't obvious from where Sugawara stood, but he knew that Daichi rolled his eyes. "You're too soft with them, Suga."

"Well… We're a family now, right?"

He was well-aware of his nickname as their group's "mom" and he sometimes wondered whether Daichi agreed at being designated as the corresponding "dad". Most of them had lost their parents and siblings during the successive attacks. He sometimes wondered whether he could somehow keep the loneliness at bay, whether he could successfully keep this family of theirs together.

It was going to be harder from this point onwards – Datekou's most recent attack against their town had only solidified their spot as one of the weakest forces. Hopefully, it meant that most other warring states would skip their town and would not plunder their ruined hometown even more.

Then again, it might not be actual fighting that would completely destroy Karasuno.

He was born to a relatively peaceful world, but it seemed so long ago that he last saw places without any traces of magic, of blood, of the thick miasma of ill intent that seemed to be blanketing over the entire world.

He sometimes wondered whether it would have been better if everybody had remained under the control of the Five Lords. He sometimes wondered whether it would have been better if they had been kept ignorant of the real source of the Five Lords' overwhelming power. He sometimes wondered whether it would have been better if Shiratorizawa had continued its unabashed, unapologetic and unyielding tyranny over the Five Lords' Council. He sometimes wondered whether it would have been better if Seijou hadn't been too power-hungry, if Seijou hadn't been successful with their lifelong research into the secrets of the Five Lords, if Seijou hadn't been relentless in exposing the existence of magic, if Seijou hadn't been selfish enough to only think of how they could unleash the miasma that fed their discovered Dark Magic. He sometimes wondered—

"—Suga?"

There were moments when he was too involved in his own thoughts.

He flushed as he tried to focus his thoughts elsewhere – not on the sorry state of the world and definitely not on Daichi's face that was now too close to his own.

His hand has long slipped away from Daichi's elbow.

"Sorry, Daichi," he has always tried to compartmentalize his thoughts – because they look at him and think of enlightenment and it's hard to be a role model for others if he himself was plagued with anxious thoughts, "I'm just thinking about what we'll do next."

Daichi would understand the best, right?

He was worried over a great number of things, after all.

"… _Koushi_."

He flinched, because Daichi only ever called him that whenever he was lost and didn't know what to do.

"We'll be fine."

He has always believed in Daichi and he wanted to believe him now.

There was no guarantee.

They could get attacked now – by Datekou, by Seijou, by Shiratorizawa, by any number of other forces. They could get ambushed on their way westward, as they marched towards the headquarters of the Five Lords' Council that also happened to be dangerously close to Seijou's headquarters. They could be too late to save Daichi's childhood friend from the Dark King's hands. They could be corrupted by the thick miasma of dark magic as they continued their journey. They could experience the rumored side-effects of magic usage on the most unfortunate circumstance.

There has never been a guarantee.

But he has always believed in Daichi.

The combination attack by Kageyama and Hinata was strong – brimming with potential – and they could become a main force that could rival Shiratorizawa's mighty Holy Magic. They have been accumulating allies from different places: Hajime-san was an amazing swordsman; Shimizu-san was a powerful witch, along with her two guards, Nishinoya and Tanaka; Tsukishima and Yamaguchi didn't interact much with them but they had a rare sort of conviction to fight; Professor Takeda and Professor Ukai were both outstanding adults who would be able to guide them; Yachi-san had a wonderful magic that might be what they would need to tip the scenario to their favor; Nekoma, despite their touted neutrality, was supporting them too.

And he has always believed in Daichi.

He took a deep breath, before he cleared the worries from his expression. He smiled brightly at Daichi.

"Let's go get those troublemakers, hmm?"

(In the end, Daichi really ended up sending a pile of rocks on top of Kageyama's and Hinata's heads – enough to catch the duo's attention and warn them to not cross Daichi again… at least not within the same night. He ended up grinning at all of them, face void of any of the anxiety that had been plaguing him continuously. He believed in Daichi, after all. Everything was going to be fine.)

•••  **[Nishinoya/Asahi] [Kageyama/Hinata] ["Magic is beautiful"]**

"…Noya-senpai, you were originally from Chuugaku, right? Was there are a lot of awesome magic users there?"

"Hmm, hmm, hmm. Call me that again, Shouyou, and I will answer all of your questions!"

"Noya-senpai!"

"Mm, good! Again!"

"Noya-senpai!"

"Once more, Shouyou!"

"NOYA-SENPAI!"

"G-G-Guys, calm down… everyone's already sleeping…" Azumane-san's meek voice was barely enough to pierce their loud exclamations, but Noya-senpai was awesome enough to hear him immediately.

"Right, right. I should answer my dear _kouhai_ 's questions, huh!"

"Thank you, Noya-senpai!"

"G-Guys…"

"Well," Noya-senpai sat back down on the makeshift bed that would cushion their backs from the uneven ground for the night, "as you probably already noticed, magic isn't available everywhere and magic users aren't spread out evenly…"

"I didn't notice – but now that you mention it, you're totally right, Noya-senpai!"

"Of course, I'm right, Shouyou! I'm a senpai, after all!"

Azumane-san tried to calm them down, _again_ , with a gentle "Nishinoya…"

It worked, _again_ , but that was more likely due to Noya-senpai's admiration for the other. Noya-senpai wasn't the type who listened to just anybody, after all.

"It was more of a trader's village, so most of our magic abilities were for small things. Definitely not as flashy as Asahi's!"

"Mine's not flashy at all…"

"It totally is! It's _cool_!"

"It's really awesome," Hinata agreed and he hoped that he would be able to improve lots so he could use the same level of magic as Azumane-san and Kageyama.

Noya-senpai suddenly turned serious though and Hinata could sense what he was going to say next. "…Chuugaku wasn't very strong, that's why other countries defeated us easily. We're lucky we're able to escape—and right into Shimizu-san's beautiful face!"

Hinata was glad that Noya-senpai's seriousness passed quickly, because he still didn't know how to handle that. He hadn't known Noya-senpai for a long time, but they had grown close easily, no thanks to their similar enthusiastic personalities. It was difficult to see someone so bright to be so down, so he was thankful that Noya-senpai had the amazing ability to cheer himself up.

"Shimizu-san is an illusionist, right?" The rumors that Hinata was able to receive said that Shimizu-san came from family of witches, but it didn't take too long into their acquaintanceship for him to learn that the word is a taboo for her and her loyal companions.

"That's right! And she's our goddess!"

"…and yet you also admire Azumane-san?"

From the tense silence that followed, Hinata thought that he really ought to keep his mouth shut. He had always been chided for blurting out things that ought to be kept to himself (oww, he still remembered the headbutt Kageyama had given him for commenting that his smile had looked constipated).

Azumane-san's face had darkened, but that was probably just embarrassment. Noya-senpai's face looked awfully blank, as though he was in the process of digesting the words he had said. The damage had already been done, so Hinata didn't even try to backtrack.

It's true, anyway.

Shimizu-san didn't give the aura that she wanted to travel with a bunch of teenagers that wanted to change the world. Noya-senpai and Tanaka-senpai were supposed to be her loyal bodyguards, but Noya-senpai seemed to have forgotten about that the moment he had met Azumane-san.

"…I think magic is beautiful." Noya-senpai eventually said, a wistful look in his eyes. "Asahi's magic is the most beautiful I've seen."

While Hinata agreed that Azumane-san's magic was awesome, he wasn't too sure if he could ever consider it beautiful. It was too… destructive for Hinata's tastes. He also didn't understand how could someone be loyal to one person yet find another to be 'the most beautiful'. It just didn't compute in his mind.

Thankfully, Noya-senpai picked up on his confusion quickly.

"You admire Kageyama's magic, right, Shouyou."

It wasn't a question, but it didn't need to be.

"O-O-Of course…" He figured it wasn't really a secret at this point, but it still felt like, well, _losing_ , if he admitted it out loud.

"Then you should know how I feel when I look at Asahi's magic!"

Not really – he can't even begin to compare Kageyama's magic with Azumane-san's.

But what he can understand is the feeling of ' _this is the best!_ ' that just made him feel that he was the luckiest person in the world to be in the other's presence.

"…but you also like Shimizu-san's magic?"

He can't even think feeling the same exhilaration towards two different people.

Noya-senpai patted his shoulders instead. An understanding chuckle came out of the other's mouth.

"I like those with beautiful magic. That's all."

But Hinata didn't understand it at all.

As long as he admired Kageyama's magic, he didn't think he could ever admire anyone else's, unless it's to a lesser degree.

But Noya-senpai didn't seem interested in explaining his strange thinking further, especially since Azumane-san already yawned three times in the past two minutes alone.

(In the end, they didn't talk further about the unexplainable divide in Noya-senpai's heart. It was enough to convince Hinata that there really were different sorts of people from all over the world.)

**••• [Shimizu/Yachi] [Unfreezing the witch's heart]**

"…Magic is beautiful."

She wasn't interested in eavesdropping on their neighbor's late-night chats, but in her opinion, their chats have ceased being considered private once Nishinoya opened his mouth. She couldn't help the flinch that coursed through her body when she heard Nishinoya's exclamation.

"Is somethin' wrong, Shimizu-san?"

"…It's… nothing."

It's not nothing, but it's not like she could disturb Yachi's sleep with her ridiculous worries.

"It doesn't seem like nothin'." Yachi's voice was gentle and warm. "I… might just be a Villager B and definitely not someone as amazing as you, but you can talk to me anytime, you know? I won't tell anyone! I can keep a secret or a hundred, after all!"

She had never been interested in giggling or laughing before, but since she had met Yachi, it seemed that her body was making up for the lost time she wasn't able to spend laughing. She didn't look too deeply into her own reactions, because Yachi's reactions were so interesting. There was no guarantee that Yachi would continue to treat her the same way if she started to share more things regarding herself and her background and her magic, but Yachi's smile made her want to trust the other girl with everything.

Still, she should start somewhere.

"…Do you think that magic is beautiful?"

If Yachi found the sudden question strange, she didn't comment on it. "Of course! Some magic might be a bit scary, but if they can just use Holy Magic and not Dark Magic, I think everythin' should be fine. Magic is awesome!"

"…Even if magic was the reason for the world being like… _this_?"

This world was chaotic and the furthest thing away from safe and peaceful. How could something like this be beautiful?

"But didn't they just use magic the wrong way?"

!

"…I mean, magic is just magic. We're still the ones responsible for usin' it, right? So if we used it wrong, then it's goin' to be wrong?"

Her illusion magic had the strange, unwanted magic of attracting people to her. Ever since she started using her illusion magic, people had started to flock to her, had mindlessly worshipped her fairly normal looks, had easily offered their lifelong loyalty to her cause. Her family had been branded as witches due to that side-effect. She had avoided looking at herself on any mirror, because she wanted to forget what she really looked like, because she was afraid of what kind of monster she would see when she actually looked at herself.

Despite that, there was now someone who considered magic to be beautiful.

…Even magic like hers?

Was she just using her magic wrong?

Was there salvation for someone like her then?

"…Shimizu-san?" Yachi's worried face was something that she both longed to look at and wanted to erase forever. "I'm sorry if I said somethin' wrong! I just… I just always speak my mind! I'm sorry!"

"…You didn't do anything wrong." She tried to smile, but she wasn't sure if she was successful. The motion felt so foreign, after all. "Thank you, Yachi."

"Beautiful." Yachi's eyes were wide as they looked at her. "You're very beautiful, Shimizu-san."

She wasn't beautiful at all.

Yachi's fingers were tracing the lines of her face, almost as though in a daze. She didn't know what to think whenever something like this happened. It's not like they've known each other for a long time, but she felt content when it was Yachi who was close to her. She wanted Yachi to continue being close to her. She wasn't sure how much of this closeness can be attributed to her ability to attract people.

But.

Just for a little while longer.

She wanted to savor this person who considered her beautiful for a little while longer.

(In the end, Shimizu and Yachi ended up sleeping within each other's loose embrace. The ground was pebbly and uneven, but Shimizu had never slept so comfortably in her life.)

**••• [Kageyama/Hinata] [Kageyama/Hajime] [Hajime/?] [Kageyama tries to learn more about Hajime]**

"…-senpai!"

"They're a really lively bunch, huh?" Hajime commented idly, while he stretched and kept moving so that his body wouldn't cool down during their mini-break. "It's a wonder we haven't been ambushed yet."

"They're idiots," Kageyama muttered, hands busied by tracing all over the makeshift spear he had made to counter Hajime's efficient and awe-inspiring swordsmanship. "If they had enough energy to keep everyone awake, they should spend it training instead. …Oh, and that sounds unlucky, Hajime-san. I hope it doesn't happen."

"Nobody wants to be ambushed, don't worry about that."

The lines of Hajime's body looked art-like, almost like he was a moving sculpture. Kageyama wanted to ask how the other learned swordsmanship, wanted to know so many things about the other man. It was a strange kind of curiosity, because Hajime didn't look like someone who stood out, but his presence was something that Kageyama had always found… _captivating_.

Kageyama shouldn't waste time like those idiots, though. "Should we start?"

Hajime answered by assuming his stance, his handicap for this match decided to be using a long twig-like branch instead of his usual sword. Despite that handicap, Kageyama had yet to land a hit against Hajime. It was frustrating and amazing at the same time. Of course, since Hajime wasn't able to wield magic, their sparring session only focused on pure physical strength.

Kageyama used to lead a small army under the Dark King, so he wasn't someone who was only good with magic and was no-good with pure combat. Yet, despite all that, he was being pushed back easily by his _senpai_.

Hajime seemed unfairly used to fighting with someone who was taller and bulkier than him. Kageyama wanted to protest about that and also sneak in a question or two about the other's origins, because surely someone with Hajime's level of skill would have been promoted to a high rank at Seijou. It was a bit inconceivable that someone as strong as him wasn't granted a rank in Seijou's military—unless they were really only focused on dark magic?

Hajime side-stepped yet another attack easily, while Kageyama suppressed a noise of frustration.

"We're bound to clash against Datekou if we keep on moving westward," Kageyama initiated their small-talk when Hajime seemed more focused on ending this round with another victory on his side. "I think we can win if we use— _oww_!"

"Pay attention to your surroundings, Kageyama." Hajime scolded him for walking right into the space that was left as a trap for him. The twig that Hajime wielded looked very easy to snap, but it actually stung annoyingly when it hit him on the forehead.

Kageyama paid more attention to his surroundings after that—he saw an opening that looked like another trap, but Hajime didn't keep on moving and instead paused, lost. Kageyama wanted to actually end this sparring-training session with at least one win for himself, so he didn't hesitate and nudged the tip of his spear against Hajime's left shoulder and upper chest in rapid succession. He allowed a grin to grace his face for the well-executed move, but Hajime didn't look like he noticed that he had lost this round.

Hajime was still there, eyebrows furrowed and lips moved in quiet cycles, almost as though he was speaking to someone who clearly wasn't Kageyama and wasn't there. It was a strange trance and Kageyama looked around suspiciously, because it almost looked like some of the puppeteer magic that he read on the books.

"…Hajime? Are you okay?"

He clearly wasn't, but Kageyama didn't know how to elaborate his concern.

Hajime blinked once, twice. He seemed to recognize his surroundings again. He grinned sheepishly and Kageyama felt a strange twinge at that action.

"Sorry about that, Kageyama." Hajime didn't look very sorry at all. "I guess I was the one not paying attention, huh? And looks like you finally got a win off me."

Kageyama wanted to ask—he has known the other for quite some time now and they have been escaped from Seijou together, but it has just dawned on him that he barely knew the other at all.

"…Who taught you your swordsmanship?"

It wasn't the question he wanted to get answers from the most, but it was the first that tumbled out of his confused self.

Nevertheless, it was a harmless inquiry, that's why he didn't expect to hear a growl from Hajime. "Why do you want to know?"

!

"I'm just… curious."

He must have appeared confused, because the angry look disappeared from Hajime's face.

"…My most important person. He taught me how to be good with swords."

Dumbass Hinata and Nishinoya were also talking about important persons (he wasn't eavesdropping—they were just speaking loudly enough for everyone and their crows to listen), but they didn't sound even half as sad as Hajime did right now. Weren't important people supposed to make one happy? Hajime looked like this was a very painful conversation, but Kageyama wanted to learn more and more and more.

"You told me to call you 'Hajime', but I don't remember if you've told me your family name."

It also wasn't very high on the list of things he wanted to know about Hajime, but it was the second question that ran from his mouth.

If possible, Hajime's sadness disappeared with lightning-fast quickness and was instead left with an expression that burned with dark anger. Hajime's eyes were narrowed and Kageyama's throat went dry. They've always called him _king_ with mockery, but he felt that at that moment, Hajime was the one who deserved the title _king_ more than anyone. There was nothing else that could have fit the royally pissed-off look that he donned.

"My family name has been _erased_ from history." Hajime didn't elaborate on how something like that could have happened, though with the way the world spun into chaos, Kageyama could already think of a number of events that could have brought that kind of circumstance.

Before Kageyama could even gather his wits to stammer an apology for overstepping his boundaries, Hajime had already turned away from him, shoulders stiff. Before Kageyama could even string together a 'good night' or something that remotely resembled civility, Hajime had already gone far away from him.

(In the end, Kageyama wasn't able to learn more about Hajime. His dreams were filled with the murmurs of the word _king_.)

•••  **[Tsukishima/Yamaguchi] [Kuroo/Tsukishima] [Kuroo/everyone]**

"…You're pretty worried, aren't ya?"

"I don't think they've asked you to come here to gossip?" Tsukishima asked with a self-important air, eyebrows raised, but anyone who knew him for an extended period of time could immediately notice the tremors on his hands and the sweat on his brow. He really was worried and it was kind of adorable how he was even attempting to disguise it. It's not like anybody would give him flack for admitting that his best (and _only_ ) friend was pretty important to him. After all, without Yamaguchi, then who would even connect him to the world?

"Well, I'm pretty sure that they asked me to save _your_ friend, so some gratitude is in order, I feel?" Kuroo wasn't someone who was easily fazed and he certainly knew his importance to this group of rebels. "at the very least, I don't think some brat should be sniping at the very kind me?"

"You and kindness in the same sentence… This world might be ending sooner than I expected."

"Hey, now! I'm always _this_ kind!"

"Pfft, do you think anybody will ever believe you?"

It was obvious that Kuroo was only riling Tsukishima up. It was also fairly obvious that the cool and level-headed Tsukishima was just letting him, most likely because he didn't want to be stuck in the limbo of worry towards his only friend.

"Believe me or not, but I'm pretty sure I'm the only one you guys know who can tackle a Dark Curse."

Tsukishima froze, before his shaky hands took off his glasses and began rubbing a piece of cloth against the lenses.

Kuroo looked like he wanted to backtrack and take his words back, because he figured that it still wasn't the best time to bring up the real reason for his presence. After all, someone like Kuroo – one of the Dark King's Advisor Mages – shouldn't even be found borders away from the kingdom he was supposed to be serve. He certainly shouldn't even be within the vicinity of a group of rebels that had no qualms about expressing their wishes and dissatisfaction against the Dark King and the world in general.

But then again, Kuroo wasn't someone who could be associated with the cheap ideals of loyalty. He helped those who could compensate him and he didn't help those who couldn't bring him any benefits in return for his help.

He was a true 'wild card' and it was great for their group that Kuroo had a strange fascination with their de-facto leader and with Tsukishima.

It was also an added bonus that Kuroo was a huge nerd when it came to dangerous dark curses and he enjoyed dealing with them first-hand. Fortunately (?), it seemed that the dark curse that had affected Yamaguchi was a kind that Kuroo was interested to work with – a level of interest that he wouldn't mind sneaking behind the Dark King's back to deal with.

That was very advantageous for them, because nobody in their little group knew how to handle a Dark Curse that extensive. The ones who had encountered Dark Magic from Seijou weren't familiar with the curse's appearance and enchantment, while Shimizu's Dark Magic was on an entirely different class from the Dark Curse. Nobody had said it when they were attacked by the unknown group of ninja-like fighters – most likely from Seijou, judging from their proficiency with Dark Magic – but it seemed like the Dark King's force was getting stronger every day, no matter what unsavory words everybody had for him.

"Yamaguchi will recover." Tsukishima muttered with conviction, but there was still uneasiness all over his body. "Since you think you're so good."

"I'm not _just_ good," Kuroo leered while he invaded Tsukishima's personal space. "I'm the _best_ , Tsukki."

"Don't call me that."

"Why not? Tsukkiiiii~"

"Quit it, you dirty cat."

" _Oho_? Didn't know that you had a _pet name_ for me!"

"You think that's a pet name? You must be really unloved."

Encounters between Tsukishima and Kuroo had historically always ended with explosions that were barely covered-up by Daichi's signature rain of rocks. That said, Tsukishima was well-aware that Yamaguchi was still in recovery not ten meters away from where they're at, so it was a bad idea to let his temper get the better of him. That said, Tsukishima also really wanted to wring Kuroo's neck.

Other members of the Karasuno group were on different areas of the rundown inn that they had managed to find. It was probably better for everyone else's sanity that they weren't around to listen and observe to Tsukishima and Kuroo interacting.

"Unloved? _Me_?" Kuroo almost guffawed at that remark. "But you _loooooove_ me, don't you, Tsukki?"

"I'll _fucking_ kill you."

(In the end, there really was an explosion, but at that point, nobody was really surprised.)


	2. Chapter 2

  
**·    [Kuroo/Kenma] [Kuroo/Tsukishima] [Hinata/Kenma]**  
  
...Sure, he and Kenma are pretty okay together, but Hinata can't help but feel that there was something wrong with the other.  
  
He squinted at Kenma's new robes. It was probably just the clothes – because he and Kuroo had to quickly make their excuses with the Dark King so they could help heal Yamaguchi. The robes were dark and baggy, like they were made for sneaking around. Why would Kenma own something like that anyway? It's not like he was a known ally of the Dark King, so it's not like he actually had to keep up appearances with Seijou. But maybe they were worried that their close friendship would be discovered by the Dark King and used against them?  
  
Hmm… but there was still something that nagged at Hinata's senses, something that seemed awfully off with Kenma.  
  
Granted, it's not like the two of them saw each other all the time, but Hinata prided himself on being rather keen when it came to his friends.  
  
"You're… staring… Shouyou."  
  
"I am!!!"  
  
"…Why?" Kenma whispered, head ducked while he fiddled with the circular orbs that he always carried with him. Hinata had previously asked to touch them and while Kenma had acquiesced fairly easily, it unnerved Hinata to touch those circles, almost as though he wasn't allowed to, almost as if the orbs themselves rejected his touch. Kenma had reassured them that inanimate objects didn't have a choice of being held, magic or no magic, but Hinata trusted his instincts on a regular basis. It's not like he didn't trust Kenma, because Kenma was really awesome, but still. He didn't feel too good touching those gem-like orbs.  
  
"…Because I'm trying to figure out if something's wrong with you!"  
  
Kenma mumbled his words to himself most of the time, but Hinata's hearing was pretty good. This level of mumbling was a piece of cake for him. "Nothing's… wrong with… me."  
  
"Are you sad???"  
  
"Why… would… I be?"  
  
"Hmm, maybe not sad like 'woooo' – but more like 'grrrr' and 'guwaaa' jealous?"  
  
"…jealous…?"  
  
"Yeah!!!" Hinata pumped his fists into the air like he discovered something awesome. "Aren't you jealous 'coz Kuroo-san flirts with everyone???"  
  
Kenma had always thought that there was something dangerous with the other's animal-like instincts. It wasn't something that was a cause for worry now, underdeveloped as it was, but it was something that could surely turn the tides of war in the future. Kenma still remembered the way the magic orbs felt restless after they were touched by Hinata's warm hands last time.  
  
"…Kuroo… is Kuroo."  
  
He did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Others no doubt considered that selfishness, but Kenma admired and envied that kind of self-confidence and self-assurance. In a world where Dark Magic corrupted its users and diverted them from their paths, in a world where there was a group of people too self-absorbed to understand the reason for the majority's disgust with them, in a world where getting influenced to do something was too easy – Kuroo stood out like a sore thumb.  
  
"Hmmmm… that makes sense, but doesn't it make you mad?"  
  
"…Not really?"  
  
After all, he understood why Kuroo was drawn to Tsukishima Kei and Sawamura Daichi. He was even the one who mentioned their names to Kuroo. He was also the one who urged Kuroo to help these guys out – not just because he considered Hinata a friend, but because they were interesting. He bit his lip as he considered whether to tell Hinata.  
  
"I really don't understand you sometimes, Kenma."  
  
That was fine. He was the one who was supposed to understand others, not Hinata.  
  
Kenma looked at Hinata, assessed him and his hidden potential. He could sense that this boy was going to be dangerous. "Mmm, I don't get you sometimes as well, Shouyou."  
  
And that was fine. They had plenty more time to undercover each other's secrets.  
  
(In the end, their short bonding time was put to an end, no-thanks to Kuroo overstepping his bounds in teasing the irritable Tsukishima. The only silver lining to that was the fact that the explosion did wake up Yamaguchi, much to Tsukishima's 'not-relief'. )  
  
 **·    [ensemble] [Hajime/???]**  
  
"…Where do you think he went?"  
  
They took the chance opened by Yamaguchi's recovery from the Dark Curse and took a well-deserved rest from the travelling and fighting and sneaking about that they did. They also took the time to refill their supplies and trade some of the rare herbs that Take-chan harvested on their trip. While most of them knew how to hunt and had no qualms about sleeping in camping tents every day, it was still good to be prepared with some coins if they needed to buy something important.  
  
Tsukishima continued claiming that he wasn't worried about Yamaguchi at all, but the bespectacled teen hasn't left Yamaguchi's room ever since the other woke up. Kuroo and Kenma made themselves scarce after the innkeeper had words with them for blowing up a part of his inn, a situation that was thankfully rectified by the combined efforts of their magic to repair the damage and conceal what had happened from others.  
  
Hajime has left their group in the midst of the commotion.  
  
It was something that was fairly common. They were a ragtag group of travellers that hailed from different backgrounds and were only patched up together due to a common goal. They didn't pry too much into each other's pasts and personal lives.  
  
Nobody had ever claimed that they didn't love to gossip though.  
  
"He might be visiting his family."  
  
"Nah, that's unlikely, Take-chan," Nishinoya polished his dagger as he shook his head at the adult's suggestion. He was in a cross-sitting position for over an hour, which was a rarity for someone so restless as him. "He's been going on and off on foot. He couldn't go somewhere very far, but he's consistent with leaving every now and then. It can't be his family, unless his family is also travelling, which makes no sense, because if that's true, then why not just travel with us?"  
  
Hinata stared at Nishinoya with stars in his eyes, unable to contribute to the conversation aside from gushing about how cool and detective-like 'Nishinoya-senpai' was.  
  
"Hajime also doesn't have magic, so he can't be teleporting all over the place," Sawamura offered his input while he stood guard on the door.   
  
They took turns in guarding their place, which was now charmed by Shimizu to look like an average, non-descript hut that nobody would blink twice at. The experimental combination of the magic from Nishinoya and Ennoshita made sure that nobody they didn't authorize would be able to come within ten meters of the hut. Despite the heavy precaution, they were still more than sufficiently wary at making sure they guarded everything, because the Dark King's forces could be lurking anywhere, any minute now. Their group was still tired from the recent scuffle and they were down one fighter. It wouldn't be a good idea to get into another battle so soon.  
  
"Might he be visiting a girlfriend?"  
  
"A g-g-g-g-girlfriend?!" Tanaka and Nishinoya gasped at the same time, faces clouded and angered. They raged at Hajime, ticked off that the other didn't even come clean about having a girlfriend.  
  
Asahi sweat-dropped at the duo's antics and tried to placate them. "That's just a theory, right, Suga?"  
  
"Mmm, I don't know, he does have a hickey each time he returns from his time away from us…"  
  
"You're so cool, Suga-san!!!"  
  
"How is that cool, dumbass Hinata?!" Kageyama bopped the other on his forehead, frustrated that he didn't even notice that those weren't bruises from their spars and from the odd twig or two that hit them while they sneaked about in the forests.  
  
"B-B-But!!! Suga-san's eyes must be 'wooooo' to be able to see that??? And are you mad, Kageyama-san, that you didn't even notice???"  
  
"Shut up, dumbass! Dumbass Hinata!"  
  
"Stop repeating dumbass, Kageyama!!!"  
  
"Keep quiet, you idiots," Sawamura remained standing with his back to the group, but the tone of his voice warned them that there would be pain if they didn't settle down quickly.  
  
"It can't be a girlfriend too," Ennoshita piped up, pausing from separating the bickering Hinata and Kageyama, "for the same reasons that it can't be his family."  
  
"Bwuh?" Hinata tilted his head in wonder while he avoided the noogie that Kageyama was about to deliver. The two of them escaped from Ennoshita's stern hold, resulting in Tanaka cackling at the expression on Ennoshita's face. "What do you mean???"  
  
"Stupid! It's so obvious!"  
  
"If it's so obvious, then why not explain to me, you jerk?"  
  
"I-I-It's so obvious I don't have to explain!"  
  
"Ehhh, stop pretending to know then, Kageyama!!!"  
  
"Why you!!!"  
  
"Wow, that looks fun, Shimizu-san! Are they playing tug-of-war?"  
  
"Stay away from them, Yachi. If their hands fell off, there will be blood everywhere."  
  
"Eeeek!!!"  
  
The rest of the guys echoed Yachi's sentiment, only that they didn't have the courage to voice it aloud. Shimizu looked nonchalant as she uttered those words, as though she was just commenting about the weather, not about the bizarre possibility of bodily harm.   
  
"He's visiting a whorehouse."  
  
"Ukai-san, you were awake!"  
  
"Everybody would wake up with a noisy bunch like this around…"  
  
"You can't be sure about that, Ukai-kun…"   
  
"I saw him walk into one as I was returning here."  
  
"Oooooh."  
  
"Did they have whorehouses in Seijou as well, Kageyama?"  
  
"How would I know?!!!"  
  
"Ahahaha, you're such a cherry boy, Kageyama!"  
  
"Shut up, Tanaka, you're one too."  
  
"H-H-Hey!!!"  
  
(In the end, their discussion devolved into a show of hands of who were virgins. Tsukishima had to drop by to call all of them pathetic for being a noisy bunch and for caring who was still a virgin – only to be caught that he was one too.)  
  
 **·    [ensemble] [Bokuto/Akaashi]**  
  
"…Good day, Karasuno."  
  
Akaashi Keiji was a gloomy-looking man, especially when juxtaposed beside his companion. He usually spoke after Bokuto Koutarou had busied himself with another thing or two, but he was someone who had a lot of knowledge and experience dealing with troublesome situations.   
  
"You just missed Kuroo and Kenma from yesterday."  
  
"It's fine, Sawamura-san. Bokuto-san and Kuroo-san had arranged to meet later today."  
  
"They did? Hopefully it's far away from here."  
  
"I'll make sure they don't make too much of a fuss."  
  
"That will be quite difficult to do, Akaashi-kun."  
  
"Thank you for your concern, Sawamura-san, Sugawara-san."  
  
"Yer such a polite boy, huh?!"  
  
"Stop your intimidation tactics, Tanaka!"  
  
"It's good to see you again, Akaashi-san."  
  
"Same to you, Kageyama-san," Akaashi looked worn down from the conversations happening all over the place. While he had enough practice dealing with troublesome and noisy situations (it came with the job of babysitting Bokuto), he was still someone who knew how to feel fatigue. He hoped that his voice didn't betray his feelings when he prompted the magic genius about the combo that he was hoping to perfect with the help of a certain orange-haired boy. "How's your training with Hinata-san?"  
  
"Keh," Kageyama's normally-surly face turned even surlier, but Akaashi could sense that the frustration wasn't directed to him or to Hinata, but mostly to himself. He was probably remembering a failed combination execution and he was more than likely blaming himself for the miss.  
  
Akaashi was used to Bokuto's mood-swings, but those were fairly easy to fix, granted that he knew how Bokuto's thought process worked now. Akaashi wasn't used to a genius of Kageyama's caliber and wasn't used to the way the other's mind worked, so he stayed silent, unable to decide on what words to say next. It was at times like these when he felt envious of Bokuto's, Kuroo's and Hinata's talent of speaking their mind so easily. The world might become such a peaceful and simple place if everyone was that honest..  
  
"We'll get it right next time, Kageyama!!! Stop sulking, or else your face will get stuck like that—ack, wanna fight?!!"  
  
"They're really such a lively bunch."   
  
Akaashi nodded his assent to Sugawara's words, as the two of them stood near the walls of the charmed inn that Karasuno's group was staying at. The two of them watched Kageyama and Hinata get into an impromptu wrestling match while they were goaded by the unspeakably devious duo of Nishinoya and Tanaka. Sawamura was bravely fending off Bokuto's hundred-and-one questions about what had happened to the group since they last saw each other.   
  
"…seems like we also missed Hajime-san."  
  
"Oh yeah! Seems like you really have bad timing…"  
  
Akaashi's intuition has rarely failed him – so he understood that there was something off about that. He had learned quite a bit about the soldier from Seijou, but most of it were from hearsays and comments from others. Their paths have never crossed yet, which was odd, because Akaashi's expertise rested on information and because Bokuto's influence as one of the Five Lords should have reached out to a lot of unseen corners in this world. For the two of them to have failed to catch even a glimpse of this 'Hajime-san' was unacceptable.   
  
He kept his lips pressed tight though, because he surely shouldn't be revealing those thoughts to Sugawara so easily, allies they may be. Of course, Bokuto has whimsically decided to ally with Karasuno and support them from behind because he's good friends with Kuroo, not because he knew each person from Karasuno personally.  
  
"We'll leave after Bokuto-san and Sawamura-san finish their information exchange," Akaashi wasn't looking forward to an afternoon babysitting both Bokuto and Kuroo, but it was necessary so he had to bear with it. "So it seems that we'll miss seeing Hajime-san today."  
  
Akaashi snuck a peek at Sugawara who was looking at him and attempting to assess his motives. He was planning on planting a recording device so he could see Hajime's face the moment he returned to this makeshift base, but the look on Sugawara's face was a look of warning. He didn't shrug, but he forewent that plan because if they didn't want his help, then there was no point helping them. As fickle as Kuroo was, it was entirely possible that they would be enemies with Karasuno tomorrow or the day after.  
  
(In the end, Akaashi ended up dragging Bokuto by the arm when the owl-loving Lord had ticked Sawamura enough to earn himself a bump or two from a falling rock.)  
  
 **·    [Bokuto/Kuroo] [Bokuto/Akaashi] [Kuroo/Kenma] [Kuroo/Oikawa]**  
  
"…Oho?"  
  
"Ohoho?"  
  
"Ohohoho?"  
  
"Ohohohoho?"  
  
"O—ouch, Kenma!"  
  
"Stop attracting attention to us, Bokuto-san."  
  
"But, Akaashi—!!!"  
  
"No buts, Bokuto-san."  
  
"We'll guard outside, but no more funny business, okay, Kuroo? I want to go home quickly."  
  
"Aw, fine~ But only since Kenma's nice enough to say a lot of words to me~"  
  
Akaashi and Kenma casted their spells on the restaurant that serves Datekou specialties, just before they left their respective friends inside.   
  
Kuroo waited until the two were out of the restaurant before he scooted his chair closer to his owl-like friend. "How were things on your end?"  
  
"Ohohoho, you're so serious, Kuroo!" Bokuto noisily slurped the noodles before he flagged the waitress to give him another serving. The waitress didn't bat an eye at him and his companion, even though their faces are fairly well-known. After all, Bokuto came from the family that inherited the Rank Four of the Five Lords, while Kuroo was the infamous mage that assisted the Dark King. But then again, Kenma's magic was strong and their disguises were awesome too. Bokuto gamely adjusted the oversized glasses that slid down his nose and almost fell down his noodle bowl as he nudged his friend with his shoulder. "Akaashi's research is progressing nicely. You know how he is!"  
  
Kuroo didn't really know how Akaashi was, because Akaashi only spoke whatever he seemed to think Bokuto would want him to say.  
  
"Well, thanks for asking, but I'm just dandy trying to get the Dark King to trust me~"  
  
"Oho? You sure you're not provoking him, provocation~expert~Kuroo-kun~?"  
  
Kuroo frowned as he thought about the frivolous king was mocked incessantly by nearly everyone around him. He thought about how the elders in Seijou treated him very differently from what was expected of a king. He thought and shuddered about the other's magic reserves – at the way there was a lot of unearthed potential for the other and how the other's aura almost threatened to suffocate everyone within a ten-mile radius on a bad day. "He doesn't trust me yet, but give me time."  
  
"I believe you can do it, my friend."  
  
"Don't say things like that, it's creepy!"  
  
"Eh??? But I always say that to Akaashi??? And he doesn't complain!"  
  
"Dude, have you really not heard Akaashi complain about you?"  
  
"My Akaashi is precious and will not badmouth me!"  
  
(In the end, the two embarrassing idiots never managed to finish their conversation about the Dark King, nor were they able to discuss how precious Akaashi was. After all, there was no time for that when a burst of magic suddenly made the whole restaurant explode.)  
  
 **·    [Bokuto/Akaashi] [Kuroo/Kenma] [Akaashi/Kenma]**  
  
"...Good day, Kenma-san."  
  
"Good day, Akaashi-san."  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
They weren't strangers, per se, but they were too quiet to initiate small-talk, especially since they have very little common ground. Well, of course, Kuroo and Bokuto were such big and imposing personalities that the two of them were sort-of relegated to the background, but that was a position that both suited them well. Aside from their respective companions' friendship and their own taciturn nature, there was one more thing that tied the two of them together.  
  
"How was your… magic experiment, Akaashi-san?"  
  
Akaashi smirked, because despite the other's meek expression that would have fooled most people, he could see Kenma's eyes glow almost golden, cat-like in their inquisitive and curious nature.  
  
"It went well… but you already knew that, right, Kenma-san?"  
  
Akaashi glanced at the orbs that blended with the atmosphere effortlessly when Kenma didn't want them noticed, but one of Akaashi's forte was information gathering that was made easier by his hyper-intuition. He had sensed Kenma's dark magic lurking around while he was doing experiments with forcibly joining dark and light magic last week. It created a bomb that was strong enough to collapse an entire mountain, but he thankfully had chosen a deserted and pillaged town for his experiment, so nobody had come running to investigate what had happened.  
  
"Mmm, well, I wanted to hear more details," Kenma demurred, eyes narrowed and posture on-guard from underneath the baggy robes. He was justifiably worried, because while he was gifted with such extraordinary synchronization with both light and dark magic, he was also aware that his childhood friend only managed to obtain the power of magic because Bokuto was someone easily persuaded by friendship.  
  
Akaashi didn't know Bokuto back then, when the other had first met Kuroo, but Akaashi couldn't help but mourn how the world would have been simpler and less migraine-inducing if the two didn't become friends. But then again, it was probably better this way, because they needed all the allies they could get in order to correct this world – by toppling the Dark King off his throne and removing all of the Five Lords save for Bokuto. This was expected to be an arduous journey, and having a spy on the Dark King's side was bound to help them in the long run.  
  
That said, Akaashi couldn't help but feel anxiety at the man in front of him.  
  
It was probably because they were too similar, in the end.  
  
"I could show you, Kenma-san?"  
  
Akaashi's own brand of dark magic trickled like summer rain down the restaurant.  
  
Kenma grinned at the unholy spark.  
  
(In the end, the two of them weren't able to control the dark magic leaking out of their bodies, which caused the restaurant to explode. The only good thing was that their companions were too busy bickering inside the shield that they had casted earlier, so they didn't notice the overflow of darkness in the area. No further words were exchanged between Akaashi and Kenma, but they both regarded each other with wariness – wariness that was born due to the fact that they both understood that the other was unstable enough to fall into darkness.)  
  
 **·    [Ushijima/Oikawa] [Iwaizumi/Oikawa]**  
  
"…Why don't you just join me, Oikawa?"  
  
"Wow, if that's how you talk to your people, no wonder everyone hates you, Ushiwaka-chan."  
  
"They don't hate me. They fear me."  
  
"Pfft, aren't you just adorably confused?"  
  
"Would you want me to be adorable?"  
  
"Ahahaha no, Ushiwaka-chan. That would be horrifying and disgusting and vomit-inducing and that would be great injustice to the cooks who labored over this feast."  
  
"Join me, Oikawa."  
  
"This is such a shitty recruitment talk, Ushiwaka-chan. You sound so desperate – is it true that most of your soldiers have already fled?"  
  
"I'm not desperate and this isn't a recruitment talk. I want you to join me, Oikawa. We can do great things together."  
  
"You're very dense, aren't you? I'm saying that I couldn't care less about joining you. Why would I? I have a country of my own, just in case you didn't know."  
  
"Of course I know. But you can be stronger. None of them respect you at Seijou, the way you are now."  
  
"No thanks, I'd rather kill myself that join forces with you."  
  
"I'm stronger than everyone else. I'm stronger than your shadow."  
  
"…don't bring him into this, Ushijima."  
  
"Did you have a fight? I won't leave you even if we fight, Oikawa."  
  
"Now you're just being deliberately obtuse. I hate you and I don't want to team up with you. And don't bring my knight into this discussion."  
  
"What kind of knight leaves his king behind?"  
  
"I—He didn't leave me behind!"  
  
"Then why are you all alone?"  
  
"Fuck you. And looming all over me isn't going to make me change my answer, asshole."  
  
"If you're all alone, then I can do this—"  
  
"Oh for fuck's sake, you're really going to try and seduce me into joining you? Like, really, Ushiwaka-chan?"  
  
"I'll kiss you first."  
  
"Pfft, you're hilarious. Do you think my knight will allow that?"  
  
"But he left you—"  
  
"Bzzt, wrong!"  
  
"—you really love going to annoying situations, dumbass."  
  
"…Lurking in the shadows is in bad form, knight."  
  
"You're the one who called me a 'shadow' first, Ushijima Wakatoshi."  
  
"See, Ushiwaka-chan? Told you he didn't leave me behind."  
  
 **·    [Oikawa/Iwaizumi]**  
  
"…Sorry for the short-notice, Iwa-chan."  
  
"…It's fine." Iwaizumi tugs his cloak off, since he could feel the pulse of Oikawa's magic surround the two of them. Hardly anyone could see them now, but Iwaizumi still looks around to be safe. "Though it would be better if I'm not going to walk into a scene like that again."  
  
"It's not like I asked Ushiwaka-chan to stalk and try to seduce me, you know."  
  
"We can use that, right?"  
  
"Aw, and here I thought that Iwa-chan will be a bit jealous?"  
  
"I don't get jealous over you, dumbass."  
  
"We don't see each other for some time and here you are, insulting me again."  
  
"I insult you even when we're apart."  
  
"How mean!!!"  
  
"Kuroo went to visit Karasuno." Iwaizumi watches Oikawa remove his own set of cloaks, followed by his boots. The insignia of Seijou is stitched into his clothes, but they're all colored black and red, instead of the original colors of blue and white. But then again, the dark colors fit into the theme of 'Dark King' better.  
  
"Mmm, I know. Kuroo-chan went to such great lengths to hide it too." Oikawa's chuckles are annoying, so Iwaizumi kicks him on his shin and ignores the whines about how mean he is. "But his friend's dark magic is too much to be ignored. It was practically pointing their location to me."  
  
"Will that be a problem?"  
  
"Not really." Oikawa doesn't think a lot of things pose a problem for him, so Iwaizumi doesn't really trust those words completely. "They're less troublesome than that Bokuto fellow."  
  
"Bokuto… the fourth-ranked heir to the Five Lords?"  
  
"Yup, yup~ Wow, so Iwa-chan can remember those things, huh?"  
  
"Are you mocking me, shittykawa?" Iwaizumi lets the other crawl on top of him though, despite his gruff tone.   
  
The inn they chose is hardly on par with the luxuries Oikawa's used to at the castle, but Iwaizumi pays no mind to the way the bedsheets feel starchy against his mostly bare skin, to the way the thin mattress is unable to cushion his back from the uneven wooden bedframe below. Iwaizumi focuses instead to Oikawa's callused fingers tracing the muscles on his chest almost reverently, to Oikawa's warm weight above him, to Oikawa's brown eyes looking at him with none of the corruption people shriek about when it comes to dark magic.  
  
"I missed you, Iwa-chan."  
  
Honesty has never been Oikawa's greatest point when they were young, but there are times when the other's words are free of lies.  
  
"I missed you too, dumbass."  
  
Iwaizumi dislikes indulging in sappy words and cheesy moments, but he has to repay Oikawa's honesty somehow, as rare as it is.  
  
"…sorry again for the short notice," Oikawa breathes into the junction of his neck and shoulder, before peppering his skin with scattered kisses. "Bokuto and his hyper-intuition bodyguard, Akaashi, were about to meet with Karasuno, so I had to get you out of there."  
  
"I already told you it's fine." Iwaizumi runs his hands across Oikawa's back, lets the pads of his fingers feel for any new scars. He frowns as he finds each new addition to the strain that Oikawa's body feels whenever he practices too much dark magic. He pinches Oikawa's skin and ignores the half-pained, half-aroused whining. "It's good that I came too, since that bastard Ushiwaka seems to think that he can kiss you just like that."  
  
"…you look kind of hot when you're jealous, Iwa-chan." Oikawa comments as he moves his kisses to Iwaizumi's face. "Maybe I should rile Ushiwaka-chan up again next time."  
  
"I think you riled him up enough today."  
  
"Ahahaha, is that so?" Oikawa sobers quickly from his laughter, as he peers down at the man he has pinned to the bed. "…I'm sorry, Iwa-chan."  
  
"What is it now?"  
  
"…I'll be counting on the extreme magic for the next couple of battles."  
  
Iwaizumi doesn't like it when Oikawa uses extreme magic, because the strain it puts Oikawa's body under is unbelievable. Of course, Oikawa will not let anyone see him falter, but that's beside the point. His entire back is already littered with scars from the backlash of dark magic. Iwaizumi's greatest fear is that Oikawa will lose himself in the process of his pursuit of his goals. He clings to Oikawa tighter, pressing the other's body close to his.  
  
This is Oikawa asking for permission from him to use extreme magic.  
  
It will be pointlessly cruel if he denies Oikawa this now, at this point in their paths.  
  
That's why, despite his grievances with what Oikawa's about to do in his campaign to expand his territories northward, he mumbles his agreement against Oikawa's lips.  
  
"Thank you, Iwa-chan," Oikawa says with a lingering trace of his honesty form before. The rest of his words are muffled in-between their kisses, but Iwaizumi knows them by heart anyway:  
  
"…my King."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 **••••• next chapter teaser:**  
  
This is probably the worst-case scenario. 

Karasuno is stuck in the middle of a face-off between Seijou and Shiratorizawa.

Sawamura thinks that this is going to be their salvation: "Let's go and help Shiratorizawa defeat the Dark King first, then—"

Whatever's going to be their next move is lost to the nothingness that is Sawamura Daichi being stabbed from the back – literally and figuratively – a spray of blood from his mouth snatching and replacing his words.

Time seems to have stopped as all eyes shift to shockingly stare at the person behind Sawamura, at the knight responsible for the sword lodged in the middle of Sawamura's chest.

"I can't forgive you for such insolence," Hajime says with more emotion that anyone ever thought possible, almost granting their wish for him to bare more about himself to his travelling companions, "against my _king_."


End file.
